Frederick C. Leonard
| Frederick C. Leonard | |
|---|---|
Dr. Frederick C. Leonard in 1947
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| Born | March 12, 1896 |
| Died | June 23, 1960 (aged 64) Los Angeles, CA |
| Residence | Chicago, Los Angeles |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Institutions | University of California at Los Angeles |
| Alma mater | University of Chicago, University of California at Berkeley |
Frederick Charles Leonard (March 12, 1896 – June 23, 1960) was an American astronomer. As a faculty member at the University of California, Los Angeles, he conducted extensive research on double stars and meteorites, largely shaping the university's Department of Astronomy. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago in 1918 and his PhD in astronomy from the University of California, Berkeley in 1921. Leonard was an astronomer from his teenage years, founding the Society for Practical Astronomy in 1909. In 1933 he founded The Society for Research on Meteorites, which later became known as the Meteoritical Society. He was its first president and was the Editor of the Society's journal for the next 25 years. The Society instituted the Leonard Medal in 1962, its premier award for outstanding contributions to the science of meteoritics and closely allied fields.
Leonard was born in Mount Vernon, Indiana in 1896 and moved with his family to Chicago in about 1900, eventually settling near the University of Chicago. From the age of eight, he showed great interest in the stars and by early adolescence had become an active amateur astronomer. In 1909 he attended the annual meeting of the Astronomical and Astrophysical Society of America, held at the Yerkes Observatory. The same year, he organized the Society for Practical Astronomy (SPA), a national amateur organization. Leonard's leadership raised concerns among professional astronomers as not all were in favor of amateur contributions to the profession. Nonetheless, the organization flourished until Leonard's departure in 1919.
Leonard was a prolific writer and by the age of 14 had attracted the attention of numerous publishers. He authored a year-long series of articles titled "Mr. Leonard's Star Colors" in the English Mechanic and World of Science. A Chicago Tribune reporter characterized him as a "co-worker with such savants as Prof. F. R. Moulton" and Francis P. Leavenworth.
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